Wrench for removing headless threaded pipe nipples



G. BRASE I Se t. 29, 1959 WRENCH FOR REMOVING HEADLESS THREADED PIPE NIPPLES Filed Aug. 15, 1958 INVENTOR. George .Bra 58 HTTYS WRENCH FOR REMOVING HEADLESS THREADED PIPE NIPPLES George Brase, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 15, 1958, Serial No. 755,185

3 Claims. (Cl. 81- 53) This invention relates in general to pipe-nipple handling tools.

In particular the invention is directed to, and it is the major object to provide, a nipple wrench by means of which a nipple may be readily removed from-or replaced in-a fitting in a pipe line, without the threads of the nipple being possibly damaged, as might be the case with direct pipe-wrench engagement; or under conditions of installation which prevent access to and engagement of the nipple by a conventional hand wrench, as-for example-in an underground sprinkler system.

At times, a pipe nipple must be removed while fluid pressuresuch as gas-is still in the pipe line of which the nipple is a part, and a further object of the invention is to provide a nipple wrench arranged and provided with means to enable the pressure flow to be transferred to a point of discharge relatively remote from the nipple itself while and as long as the wrench is applied thereto. Such pressure flow does not therefore interfere with or endanger the operator in his manipulation of the wrench, as would otherwise be the case.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a nipple wrench which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the nipple Wrench, as connected to a nipple to be removed and to a pressure feed hose.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the wrench as connected to a nipple.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the wrench comprises a somewhat elongated barrel 1, of square or heXagonal cross sectional form on the outside for crescent or other hand wrench engagement. The barrel 1 is provided with a bore 2, one end portion of which is tapped with pipe threads 3 to conform to and receive the threads 4 on a standard nipple 5.

The remaining and longer portion of the bore is tapped with straight machine or S.A.E. threads 6 of low pitch,

and are left-handed to correspond to the left-hand threads 7 of a bolt 8 adapted to be screwed into the barrel from the end opposite the tapped portion 3. The bolt 8 includes an enlarged head 9 of the same exterior crosssectional form as the barrel 1, so that the same size hand wrench may be used to engage both said barrel and the head.

The inner end portion of the bolt 8 is relieved of threads, and of a relatively smaller diameter, as shown at 10, so that it may enter the tapped portion 3 of the barrel without binding. The inner end of the bolt 8 is of frusto-conical form, as shown at 11, and of a size so as to be capable of partially entering the bore 12 of the nipple and to wedgingly lock against the inner end of such nipple, as shown in Fig. 2.

In operation, the bolt 8 is first retracted somewhat in the barrel 1, and the latter is then screwed onto the nipple 5 until a snug fit is obtained. The bolt is then advanced, by a counter-clockwise rotation of the same because of the left-hand threads thereof, until the frusto-conical end 11 engages and is forcefully wedged in the bore 12 of the nipple; such engagement being accomplished very positively by reason of the S.A.E. threads 6 of low pitch. The same hand wrench used to advance and tighten the bolt may then be employed to engage and turn the barrel--with the bolt 8 and nipple 5 rigid therewith as a unit-in a counterclockwise direction so as to unscrew the nipple from the fitting 13 in which it is mounted.

The nipple when once removed from said fitting can then be disengaged from the nipple wrench by first loosening the bolt 8, which permits the nipple to be unscrewed from the barrel 1.

From the above description of the operation of the nipple wrench, it is obvious that it may also be conveniently used in mounting a new nipple in the fitting 13 in place of the one removed; the barrel 1, under such circumstance, being rotated in a clockwise direction.

Under certain conditions it may be necessary to remove the nipple while pressure is still in the pipe line of which fitting 13 is a part. To adapt the nipple wrench to such conditions, the bolt 8 is provided with a passage 14 therethrough; the outer end portion of which passage is tapped, as at 15, to receive a small-diameter nipple 16, which is of course tubular.

A hose 17, to carry off the pressure flow from within the pipe line, to any suitable and remote point of discharge after the nipple wrench is applied to nipple 5, is connected to the nipple 16 by means of a fitting 18 which preferably includes a swivel coupling 19 so that the nipple wrench may be turned without twisting the hose.

This feature enables the nipple wrench to be applied to the nipple 5 without the initial mounting of the nipple wrench on the nipple 5 being hindered by the pressure within the line, as would be the case if the wrench was in effect a solid plug. Additionally, the pressure flow such as gasis fed to a remote point so as to not inconvenience or endanger the operator.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as will fully fulfill the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrom may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A wrench for engaging and turning a pipe nipple comprising a tubular barrel adapted on the outside for wrench engagement and tapped at one end for threaded engagement on an open-ended nipple, a bolt turnably threaded into the barrel from its outer end, the threads of the bolt and nipple being opposed, an unthreaded portion of reduced-diameter on the inner end of the bolt to clear the barrel threads, and a frusto-conical end on said reduced-diameter portion of a size to wedgingly engage the periphery of the bore of the nipple.

2. A wrench for engaging and turning a pipe nipple comprising a tubular barrel adapted on the outside for Wrench engagement and tapped at one end for threaded engagement on an open-ended nipple, a tubular bolt turnably threaded into the barrel from its outer end, the bolt including a portion of reduced-diameter on its inner end to pass into said tapped portion of the barrel in clearance relation thereto, and a frusto-conical end on said reduced-diameter portion to wedgingly engage the Patented Sept. 29, 1959' entire periphery of the bgre or the nipple at the barrelengaged end thereof."

3. A Wrench, as in claim 2, in which the bolt is tapped at its outer end for detachable gonnection with a hosets tai n r-r Refereneeg i ited the file of t1 1is patent TED S A S ATEN S 1,549,041 Berg Aug. 11, 1925 4 Pearce -5 Sept. 11, 1928 Parhaniemi Dec. 25, 1956 Retterath July 30, 1957 Hammon Sept. 10, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1890 

